Cut From the Same Cloth
by Tycho
Summary: S/B are out of the closet. Xander & Willow are appalled, but Dawn is not. Why? chap9 & 10 are up. This is the last of the fluff....
1. One

Cut From the Same Cloth

by Tycho

E-mail: tychocelchu@optusnet.com.au

Rating: PG for innuendo and perhaps a little language.

Pairing: S/B, D

Spoilers: Normal Again and rumors of late S6

Summary: S/B are out of the closet. Xander & Willow are appalled, but Dawn is not. Why?

Disclaimer: Whedon is God. A cruel and manipulative God.

Archive: Just lemme know!

Eventually, reason decided to rear its head; to be heard amidst the din of opinions and accusations that was the current argument at Casa de Summers. The accused were divided over the facts but withstood their opponents' united attacks through sheer force of will, counter accusations and pure snarkiness. The accusers had precedence and righteousness to draw upon.

Surprisingly, reason took the form of a fifteen year old girl in jeans and borrowed (read liberated from sister's closet) navy blue turtleneck. Unlikely, as most 15 year olds are anything but reasonable, and this one less than most on many an occasion. Or perhaps logical considering the identity of the combatants, but true nonetheless.

Dawn gained their attention with an ear piercing whistle that set the dogs barking up and down Revello Street and left certain geekish voyeurs momentarily deaf due to the electronic feedback. "Guys, this isn't getting us anywhere. Everyone should go home, think o it, sleep on it, and try again tomorrow. 'Cause I, for one, would like a little sleep tonight. There were rumors of a calculus pop quiz tomorrow that I can't afford to miss because I was studying the backs of my eyelids. Hmm?"

Silence reigned over the house as the four other occupants of the Buffy's living room mulled over the teen's wisdom. (While in the backs of all their minds the phrase 'teen wisdom' were being filed with others such as 'honest politician' and 'army intelligence'.) Willow was the first to break the silence. "That's probably been the most intelligent thing said all night." She glared at Xander as he went to make an objection. "From any of us." Xander removed foot, and closed mouth. "I think it would be best if I paid a visit to my parents tonight."

Soon after, Buffy was watching her two best friends walk down the street. She hoped tomorrow's discussion would be a little more civilized and less like a political 'debate'.  Their feelings could be summed up very easily. "They hate me, I disgust them."

"Actually, pet, I think most of that was directed at me. It'll all work out, you'll see. You three are bound together tighter than you realize. It's impossible to tear you apart. I've tried remember? They'll get over it, and by the time ol' Warren an' 'is cronies 'ave been locked up you'll all be bosom buddies again." Spike smirked, "O'course they'll still want to see my carcass reduced to ash tray material, but I'm used to that."

Buffy couldn't help but smile at that, "You know I didn't really mean _all_ of what I said in there, don't you?"

Spike circled his arms around her waist from his position behind her, "You mean....."

For a moment Buffy allowed herself to feel the rightness of his embrace, but then gently broke it, turning around to mock scowl at him. "Not a chance in hell."

"I know." Spike was grinning. "Worth a shot, tho'."

"Points for effort. Small points, small effort."

"Every little bit helps. Seriously though, whatever you and they decide, no matter the argument they use,  I'm stickin' around. I'm 'ere for keeps, and until you figure out what it is you feel for me, you've got my help, my love and my support. All the way. 'Til the end of the world."

A half smile formed on Buffy's lips as she remembered a similar conversation almost a year ago. "Even if it happens to be tonight?"

Spike touched her cheek, "Even then."

Time seemed to stand still, this moment seeming to last forever.....

"And on that saccharine moment," the teen at the base of the stairs made gagging motions, "Goodnight." Dawn began to climb the stairs. "And I'd better not hear anything to accompany the already disturbing visuals I have in my head."

Spike had the decency for once to look a smidgen abashed. "G'night, Bit." 

Buffy wanted to sink through the floorboards. Regardless of the future, Dawn would never let her live this down. "See you in the morning, Dawn." She watched her sister ascend to the second floor of their home. Dawn had played the part of impartial but supportive sibling very well. Buffy's eyes narrowed. A little _too_ well, actually. 

Dawn was placing her foot on the top step when from below came: "On second thoughts, hold it right there, Missy."


	2. Two

Dawn paused mid step, cringing. Buffy had that 'Don't think I don't know what you're up to' tone in her voice. Usually it was a bluff, but one that worked suprisingly well. Dawn turned around, *I can do this*, and put on her 'slightly irritated but willing to forgive face'. "What?"

"Don't you 'what' me. This morning I was, and I quote, ' your least favorite person after your english and biology teachers'. Tonight you're all reasonable and support-o-gal. A change like that from the grudge champ who still exacts petty revenge on Willow for what happened months ago? Not possible. What is going on?"

"Wh-Who said I was on your side? I was helping Spike. He's my friend, never once tried to kill me. I want him to be happy. And if that means he's boinking the sister-who-doesn't-want-me then so be it." Dawn raised her chin and looked down her nose in a superior fashion. Inside she was in a quiet panic.*That was good wasn't it? All truth, defiant and righteous all at once. Should work.....Please work.*

But it wasn't. Buffy was raising an eyebrow and looking at her calculatingly as she walked to the bottom of the staircase; and Spike was smirking. "Nice try pet, but you're addressing the Master of Lies and Mistress of Deception. Those little tricks I taught you aren't gonna work. Try again. I hear honesty is quite the novelty."

Her panic escalating, Dawn fell back into familiar territory. The innocent little girl routine. "We're a family, Buffy. You,.me and Spike. Stick together, y'know?" It had always worked before. *On Mom anyway. And a little cute never hurt.* "Besides, you two make just the cutest couple."

Buffy was shaking her head, and walking up the stairs. Dawn suddenly found herself with her back against the wall. "Dawn that was just plain lame. You should have tried huff. Innocent just doesn't cut it anymore." Buffy's hand made contact with the wall as she leant against it, cutting off Dawn's single avenue of escape to her bedroom. "Now I'm noticing several things here. Lately, you're always smiling, almost a foolish grin really. You've gone out with Janice almost every night of every weekend for the past few weeks. You play sappy love songs. You HATE sappy love songs. I'm observing these things and I'm not liking my conclusions."

"Who is he?"


	3. Three

Dawn feigned confusion, "He who?"

Spike was suddenly on the other side of her, boxing her in. "He, as in the 'one who has been leaving colorful marks on you neck' kind. And don't tell me you've been wearing turtlenecks and scarves for the other two reasons in this town, 'cause it ain't been cold, and," his eyes flashed yellow as he glanced to Buffy's only visible scars, "You're way to smart for the other."

Buffy's eyes widened again as she comprehended what Spike was saying, then narrowed as she realized just how often Dawn had been concealing her neck. Buffy reached forward and pulled the high collar of Dawn's top away from her throat, running her fingers around both sides to reveal all. Sure enough, there at the hollow of Dawn's throat, and again, but more faded, at the point where her neck met her shoulder, were two bruises caused by suction. Hickeys.

Buffy let go of the small breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. No actual bites. She knew Dawn was smarter than to let a vamp near her neck, but she still had that jacket from Halloween. But what was the deal with the secret mission act? It wasn't as if Dawn hadn't had any dates since Halloween, and Buffy had met all of them. Just ordinary boys like the type she'd dated all those years ago. Before the supernatural world had taken over her life. "What are you hiding Dawn? What is it about this guy that you have to keep him secret from me?"

"Dawn gave her a smug look. "Who said it was a guy?"

A/N I know short with an evil chapter ending! But lately I only seem able to write during my breaks at work (stupid muse). More soon! & thanks to Mcee for the inspiration her fic "Between Girlfriends" provided!


	4. Four

For a moment Buffy considered what her sister was implying. It wasn't something that could be dismissed out of hand. Having been a close witness to Tara and Willow's relationship for such a long time didn't automatically make Dawn gay, but living with a pair of lesbians certainly opened one's eyes to new options. Buffy nearly blushed at the recollection of a few of her own fantasies.

Could Dawn be seeing a girl? No. By her attitude alone Buffy could tell she was just trying to shock her. Spike, it seemed, had the same idea but wanted to make sure. He leant in close to Dawn, sniffing her. "Nope, definitely male."

Dawn's jaw dropped, blushing slightly at his remark. Obviously she didn't know just how acute a vampire's sense of smell was. She went fully scarlet at his next comment though, the subject of which Buffy hadn't wanted to even contemplate thinking about. "And you don't have to worry about hauling out the shotgun, luv. She's still a virgin."

This earned him an "Eewww!" from Dawn and a smack upside the head from Buffy with a "You pig, Spike." thrown in for good measure. Spike grinned a small self-satisfied grin. The blow had been gentle and he could hear the fondness she denied in her voice. "True, but you love me anyway."

Buffy didn't answer, but instead turned her attention back to Dawn. And the world came with inches of seeing the very first vampiric snoopy dance, her neglect in refuting his statement driving Spike to the edge. He managed to restrain himself though. Barely. After all, such things were beneath the Big Bad.

Well, maybe if it happened again.

In private, away from prying and blackmailing (as the past summer had proven) teen eyes.

Just a little one.

Spike returned to the present to find Buffy beginning to sound like an interrogator at a POW camp.

"I just want the basic details for now, Dawn, and if we have to play 20 questions until sunrise, then so be it. Let's start with the basics. What's his name?"

There was a pause as Dawn briefly considered defying her sister, but it wasn't worth the trouble. Buffy had a way of finding secrets out whether you liked it or not, and Janice was about as easy to crack as an overcooked pea with a hammer. "Jaxan."

Buffy frowned, trying to remember any boys in Dawn's class with weird names. Not that she could talk about weird names. But it wasn't ringing any bells. Spike took the next question. "Where'd you two meet? School?"

Dawn squirmed a little at this. "No, he's kinda graduated."

Buffy was puzzled. Was this what Dawn was so nervous about? It wasn't that bad, after all, most of her own Buffy's own boyfriends had been older than her, two by entire generations. She didn't dwell on the fact that she had just referred to Spike by the label of 'boyfriend', even if it was just in her own head, until much later. For now she had other concerns. 

"He _has_ a pulse." Statement. Not question. One that Dawn had no problem agreeing with, a silly grin spreading across her face. "Oh, there is definite pulsing."

Dawn was puzzled as to why Buffy and Spike were suddenly looking so shocked.


	5. Five

For some reason both Spike and Buffy were giving Dawn really peculiar looks, simultaneously shocked and angry with a little bit of that TMI face thrown in for good measure. And Spike had begun growl at low volume. *This must be one of those enigmatic mysteries that Willow keeps talking about. What could disturb them about a pulse? It's what they wanted to hear. Pulse, pulsing. Or is that pulsating?....OMFG!*

There was a note of almost panic in Dawn's voice as she hurried to reassure the two most important people in her life that she and Jaxan hadn't discovered pulsating parts of bodies. "Not that. Much higher up. As in head on chest at picnic higher up." Buffy ceased thinking about reaching for the dagger inside her left boot, Spike swallowed his growl, and Dawn began to smile softly in fond remembrance of the previous weekend. "It was nice."

Whoever the guy was, his value in Buffy's eyes had just risen. Such times as could be described as _nice_ seemed few and far between to her memory. For either of them. A few nights with mom, more before Buffy was outed as the Slayer than after; Dawn's birthday at the carousel, the night Angel had slept on her floor, easy times with Riley during the summer between Adam and Glory; and strangely enough those few seconds during her first night resurrected before her friends had come charging through the door, while Spike gingerly nursed her injured hands.

Spike, however, decided to press the issue and reiterate Buffy's previous question. *Insensitive Pig!* "So, where did you meet him, Bit?"

Dawn opened her mouth, the lie ready to be told. The lie that would buy her enough time to ensure that both she and Jaxan would survive when the truth finally came out. *That's the problem with this town. Everyone denies the BIG truth so all the little ones have to come out of hiding where they should stay. At least until after go to college anyway. In another town.*

One look at Spike, though, and she knew it wouldn't work. The lie died on her lips and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "The wedding."


	6. Six

Spike was the first to react. "Bloody hell! No wonder you were tryin' to hide the git from us. Which one is he? That short dopey twit? Nah, 'as t'be that tall bastard who couldn't keep 'is eyes to 'imself. Shoulda done 'im right there 'n' then, done the world a favor. Mark my word, 'e's another Parker, that one. But I'll tell you one thing right now missy, there is no way while I walk this world that you're dating one of the Harris Horde!" 

If Spike had been a normal man, that tirade would have left him gasping for breath. But because he was a card-carrying member of the 'Undead Lovers of the Slayer Society', (ULSS, founding member: Angel, incumbent President: William the Bloody.) he just stood there fuming. Dawn looked at Buffy. Buffy looked at Dawn. They both looked at Spike, and then back at each other. 

And burst into laughter.

An unexpected reaction to be sure, and Spike looked at the pair in shock. This only made them laugh harder. He glared at the only two people in any dimension he would give up his unlife for, and tears of mirth began to roll down their cheeks. When his fury turned to indignence, they collapsed against the wall, clutching sides now heaving in those silent giggles that seem to feed upon themselves. Finally, after some extraordinary length of time, Buffy and Dawn began to calm.

Spike had long before given up trying to speak any sense into them. At last they reached the point of exhaustion, when sides and abs ache, throats are raw, and a pleasant fatigue has settled. At this point he spoke, "Fine. Marry the blighter, but don't come crying to me when he turns into a fat lecherous drunk!" He spun and clomped down the stairs, duster billowing behind him. The front door wasn't slammed, but it wasn't shut silently either.

But neither Dawn nor Buffy noticed, for his performance had set them off again, and laughter ruled the House of Summers for the first time since Joyce's passing.


	7. Seven

Buffy awoke to the feel of the morning sun on her face, bright and cheery. For once she felt the same way. The laugh-fest she'd shared with Dawn the night before, and all the revelations that had preceded it, had left her feeling ....lighter; as if a great burden had been lifted. A burden that she hadn't realised she was carrying until it was gone. Not even Xander's disgust could ruin her good mood on this morning. Absently she looked to the vacant half of her bed, *The only thing missing is...no. I _can't._*

A little part of her delighted in pointing out the difference between can't and don't. The same part that shivered with desire at the thought of his hands (and what they could do!) and could get lost in his delicious blue eyes for hours. That part she had labelled Bad!Buffy!

The morning went smoothly. Dawn was ready for school by the time Buffy made it downstairs and they shared grins any time their gazes met, supressing giggles at the memory of The Spike Rant. Dawn found herself inside the school gates well before first bell, eagerly looking forward to the afternoon. Jaxan would be _so_ pleased that the sneaking was over, as would Janice who, Dawn had observed, was getting a little tired of being Miss Third Wheel & Alibi.

Janice still gave Jaxan's horns the occasional odd look, as if she'd forgotten about them.

Buffy actually managed to get to work early and, somehow remaing cheerful throughout the DMP lunch rush, managed to score two hours overtime which would reallly help with the phone bill.

It was near dusk when she got off work, and she decided she'd drop by and pick up Spike, after she showered and changed, before the second chapter of the 'Buffy's Love-un-life Part Deux Debate.' United We Stand and all that. Besides, Spike was owed an explanation for his humiliation.

Buffy slipped through the door into the silent crypt, having long grown out of slamming it open. Sneaking around with a lover gave rise to certain amount of stealthiness that she'd never bothered with as the Slayer. And it avoided complaints from the neighbors. Waking the dead was never a good idea.

Once again Buffy found Spike asleep, amidst the ruins left behind by the explosion that had obliterated his decorating efforts, his usually expressive face relaxed and peaceful. She hadn't had many opportunities to see him like this, for very rarely had sleep come on the heels of their . . . . . encounters. At least in the beginning. Towards the end it had happened more and more often, sex leading to cuddling and conversation.

Buffy ignored the Bad!Buffy! voice that wanted to call it lovemaking and looked upon his sleeping form with tenderness. But Bad!Buffy! was sneaky, and she found that her hand was gently running through his bed curled locks, a soft smile on her face.

"Is this your idea of an apology pet? 'Cause it's gonna take a lot more than a little fondling, and we both know where that'll lead." One eye opened revealing the guarded blue orb within, its depths hiding the pain that always seemed to be present lately. Buffy pulled her hand away, "Knew there'd be no follow through." He sat up and faced her.

"Pig." But the once harsh scorn was gone from Buffy's voice, and the word itself had become a term of endearment that only Bad!Buffy! deigned to recognise. "Actually, I wanted to thank you. I . . . and Dawn, _we_ haven't laughed like that in . . . . well a long time, anyway." Buffy bent closer and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, ignoring her alterego's insistence that the action be repeated repeatedly on his lips . . . .and elsewhere. "Thank you, Spike."

Spike looked flummoxed for a moment, and then stammered a "You're welcome." He cleared the sleep from his eyes with his thumb and index finger, reminding Buffy suddenly of Giles and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at him again. "So what was so bloody funny anyway?"

Buffy smiled at the memory of both the previous night and eight years ago. "You gave almost a verbatim copy of the speech Dad gave me when he first found out I was dating. As I recall it took Mom almost an hour to stop laughing, and she still had giggle fits the next day whenever he was in the same room." Buffy was grinning openly by now. "By lunchtime, he'd exiled himself to the garage."

Spike gave her a rueful grin, "I 'spose it was a bit much. But I stand by what I said: 'Bit will not date a Harris!"

"You've got that right. Dawn will never date a Harris. Her own words."

"Huh?" Spike was suddenly perplexed. It was too easy a capitulation for Dawn, heir to the Crown of Stubborness. (Buffy being the current holder of said Crown.)

"Jaxan wasn't one of Xander's guests at the wedding," Buffy's grin broadened in anticipation of the apoplectic fit the vampire would throw when he figured it out, but then he was kinda slow...."He was one of Anya's."


	8. Eight

This one's for Teagan. Happy now? g

----------------

Spike seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, trying to determine what it was that Buffy was implying, while at the same time denying the obvious. The three 'D' words - Dawn, Demon & Dating - just did not fit together in a sentence. Or at least they wouldn't by the time he was finished.

In the space of seconds, he was out of the bed and rummaging around his ruined crypt. For a moment, Bad!Buffy's admiration of his bare . . . . body, was indulged and the Slayer cocked her head to one side. Then she shook it clear of naughty thoughts and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"This!" Spike stood up brandishing a wicked looking axe. "I'm gonna cut the blighter's head off!" And with that grand exclamation of destruction, he grabbed his duster and started up the ladder that lead in to the upper chamber of his home.

"Spike, stop. You aren't going to kill anyone today."

"Give me one reason why not!"

"I'll give you five: One, you don't know where he is. Two, you don't know what he is. Three, Dawn would be hurt and hate you for eternity. Four, if you hurt Dawn I will kill you; and Five....."

"What?"

Buffy looked him up and down with a critical eye. "You just might want to put some clothes on before you go anywhere, cause I can't afford to bail you out of an indecent exposure charge. Besides you might traumatize someone."

Spike looked down at himself, rolled his eyes in disgust, and dropped from the rungs. He made his way towards his clothes, and began to grin at the love of his unlife. "Traumatize, eh? Like the whelp if he ever figures out what it was he actually saw the day you were invisible, luv?"

She pointed a finger at him like it was a stake, "If you even think about telling him . . . . ."

"Yeah, I get it. Be fun though. Years o' therapy an' all that." 

Buffy tried not to smile, and quickly switched back to the original subject. "So you aren't going to go all Psycho!Spike on me and try and kill/maim/harm Dawn's boyfriend who she likes very much, are you." It wasn't actually a question.

The vampire finished buckling his belt. "Nah, I won't 'urt the git. Make it perfectly clear what'll happen if 'e screws it up and 'urts her, but 'e'll live."

"Wait in line." Spike smirked at her in response before pulling his shirt on. "What I don't get though, is why your oh so sensitive sniffer missed it."

Spike looked thoughtful as he pulled on his boots. "I think maybe, because I wasn't looking for it."

Buffy was puzzled, "And yet you could pick up that he was, well a he, and that he and Dawn hadn't done anything that would require his death?"

He shrugged, "Well yeah. Sorta like if you were blind folded and sat in front of week old garbage, Chanel No 5 and a freshly baked chocolate fudge muffin. You'd ignore the others and the muffin would cease to exist."

"Touché. But I'd still know the others were there."

"I just figured that was you. You'd been on patrol, and I thought it was something you'd killed." Spike pulled on his duster.

"Well I guess that would explain it. Can you believe a new fledgling actually asked me to take a shower the other night? Stupid DMP." Seeing Spike was finished making himself fit for the public eye, Buffy stood, "Shall we go, then?"

Spike bowed, gesturing to the ladder, "After you milady."

Buffy made a small curtsy in return. "Why thank you, kind sir."

As they exited Spike's lair, he told her again what he had the previous night. "Remember, whatever you decide to tell them about us, I'll back you up. United we stand and. . . "

"Divided we fall. I get it."

Spike interrupted before she could say more. "No, luv. No falling. I'll never let you fall again. Ever."

Buffy was stunned into speechless silence by the intensity of emotion in his voice, and until they reached the gates of the cemetery, she stayed that way, unable to deal. As they hit the street, she gave her ......friend, a cheeky half-smile. "Didn't you say something about a freshly baked chocolate fudge muffin?"

Spike laughed.


	9. Nine

School was out for the day and Janice found her best friend waiting at the gate as she often did.  
  
"Dawn?" No response.  
  
"Earth to Dawn." Still nothing.  
  
"Dawn you just failed math." That one was doomed from the beginning.

"Dawn, the world is about to end and Jaxan is naked what are you going to do?" At last, a reaction. Dawn cocked her head, admiring the .... idea, in all its glory. But then realized where she was and blushed furiously. She slapped her friend on the arm.

"Janice! Don't say things like that. It's going to be hard enough now that Buffy knows, but if she hears you talking like she'll kill us both!" Janice was looking at her peculiarly. "What?"

"Your sister knows."

"Yeah." Dawn stretched the word out as she stood up, still puzzled.

"About you. And your other-than-human boy-toy."

Dawn frowned at her. "Don't call him that."

Raising an eyebrow, Janice asked, "Other-than-human?"

"Boy-toy."

"Ah. But she knows." They started walking towards town.

"Yeah."

"And judging by your still present pulse and questionable sanity, she hasn't killed either of you. Are you sure that the Buffy-bot wasn't rebuilt again?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Actually she was pretty cool with it."

Now it was Janice's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, right. And I suppose she and her pet vamp have been making with the wild monkey sex too."

Dawn smirked evilly, a trait she'd picked up from said pet vamp. "Yep."

Janice looked unconvinced. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Well, she was. She _says_ it's over but I just think she's in denial."

Shaking her head, Janice said "I was right. Your sister _is _insane. Anyone who gives up a guy that yummy, undead or not, is nuts."

"Well Spike's first girlfriend certainly qualifies. She not only heard voices, she hosted tea parties for them."

Janice was silent for a moment, as if tallying something up in her mind. "Okay, another person added to my 'never want to meet' list. Do you realize that you personally know most of the people on that list?"

Dawn tried to look at the bright side of it. "At least most of them are permanently dead."

"And is insane-o-chick one of the not-so-dearly departed?"

"Only in the sense that she doesn't actually have a heartbeat. But it's okay. She prefers to hang around in South America and Europe. We'll probably never see her in Sunnydale again." Janice was looking at her in disgust. "What?"

"You just had to go and do it, didn't you."

"Do what?"

Janice stopped and poked her friend in the chest. "You just had to go and jinx it. It's guaranteed now. Thank you in advance for what I'm sure will be my premature death. Not to mention a fresh wave of nightmares caused by you. You're evil I swear."

Dawn cringed and gave the only reply suitable for the occasion. "Oops?"


	10. Ten

At a movie premiere in Sunnydale.......

Jaxan regretfully raised his head and looked down at the goofily grinning face staring back at him. He didn't need a mirror to know that the same expression was plastered over his own face.

Dawn wrapped her arms around his neck. "You should greet me like that more often."

"How often?"

Dawn thought it over, for half a second. "How about every time?"

"Sounds good to me." Jaxan bent to kiss her again but stopped, his eyes wide as they caught sight of something beyond his girlfriend.

"What? What's wrong."

"You got the tickets already didn't you?"

"Yeah...ah!" Dawn found herself being pulled into the crowded cinema. Jaxan found them seats as far from the entrance as possible and pushed her into a seat before hunching himself down into one himself.

Dawn was worried now. "Jaxan? What is it? Why are we hiding? What did you see?"

"They're here." He was torn between trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible and trying to see over the heads of the crowd, not knowing that both actions were futile.

"Who?"

"Your sister and her boyfriend."

Dawn looked confused. "Buffy doesn't have a boyfriend." She began to count her fingers, "Stalkers, monsters, guy friends and sex toys, yes. Boyfriend?" She shook her head. "No. You sure it wasn't just someone who looked like her?"

"Blonde, about so high, capable of ripping a guy's head from his shoulders when she finds out he is dating her sister? Sounds like her to me. And a platinum blonde vamp in leather with a similar temperament. Sound familiar?"

"Okay, so Buffy and Spike are here. But what I don't get is why you think they're together like we are."

"He was buying a jumbo popcorn and soda. Like I get for you." Jaxan shook his head, as if to clear it. "Can we get back to the subject? Namely my imminent death if they find us?" He began to look around again.

Dawn smiled. She reached out and turned his head around to face her. "Relax. They already know, so I think you'll live." While Jaxan contemplated this earth shattering revelation, Dawn leant in and kissed him. As she pulled away, realization sparked fire in his eyes, and he tried to once again capture her lips with his.

Placing her finger on his upper lip, Dawn stopped him, pouting. "No." She then stood and began to make her way past him.

"Huh? Wha?"

"I'll have you know that I'm very annoyed with you mister. You know I like to watch the trailers. Now I'll probably miss them."

Jaxan took hold of her arm to halt her progress and asked, "Why?"

She rounded on him, scowling affectionately. "Because someone was in such a hurry to save his own skin that he forgot the most important part of the whole movie experience."

He thought for a moment, then let go looking guilty. "Popcorn and Soda?"

Dawn nodded, "Jumbo, of course."

Watching her walk away, and appreciating the view, something else occurred to him and he called out. "Do you need any money?" Dawn's only reply was to hold up something small, square and made of leather. Jaxan recognized it immediately and frowned, checking inside his jacket. "She's getting way too good at that." He settled back down and began to wait, hoping she would make it back before the start. Being alone in a crowd like this was just no fun.

But he wasn't alone for long, though he wished he was. A voice as cold as death and twice as frightening spoke in his right ear, "Never run from anything immortal....." That voice was joined by another, female this time and scarier still. "....It attracts their attention."

The Slayer and her Vampire were seated behind him.......


End file.
